Muskie in swatara behind hersheypark

[jkilroy]

Just wondering, anyone ever try and target muskie on the fly in the section of the swatara creek behind hersheypark? I've wondered about that, I know they stocked it in years past with muskie hybrids. The water there is deep and slow and there is lots of trees down which would make for good cover. What would be the best approach to go there to see if any lurk there, spinning rod first?

I've always wanted to catch a muskie on the fly but I hate to do all that blind casting and go home with nothing but a sore arm flinging around a 10wt all day long. Last year floating the juniata river I saw a monster when I was out for smallies, he was well over 4' mingling around with a bunch of carp in a deep pool. That was definitly a river monster.

 

[Fishidiot]

jkilroy wrote:
I've always wanted to catch a muskie on the fly but I hate to do all that blind casting and go home with nothing but a sore arm flinging around a 10wt all day long. .

Hey - this is the nature of muskie fishing with either fly or spin gear. No pain, no gain - live it, learn it, love it (and any other relevant cliches)
Anyway, with that said - by all means try that section. Muskie guys are tight lipped about their favorite spots, but what you describe sounds good and river muskies bite year round, although I wouldn't bother if the river is icy. The Swatara was (and is) stocked with tigers. Prospecting with spin gear is a good idea and will allow you to cover more water. Just remember, if you always wanted to catch one on a fly......
Just be prepared to pay your dues. Nothing wrong with a sore shoulder.

 

[riverwhy]

Ihave gotten to know that stretch a bit this past year, mainly fishing below the dam for a stretch. Fish with spin and fly rod and sometimes toss a big plug. No sign of muskies above or below the dam. Above the dam is hard to fish with all the trees and brush right up to the water with the exception of one side right at the dam. Maybe this summer I will explore upstream a ways. Check the stream reports on the Swattie. I have posted a couple times as have some others. I love living in Hershey. Can't beat fishing and enjoying a concert at the same time!

 

[TD55]

That is the nature of the beast with musky period let alone on the fly. You gotta take your lumps. I could take you to places that I 100% know there is a musky in a hole and you may go there 20 times and never see a fish. There are NO guarantees in musky fishing. Just keep on casting and it will happen.

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

Ha TD is right. Ya gotta be a little crazy, a little sick in the head to go out day after day. Doing WORK. And expect......better yet know that 1 will eat if you put your time in. If you don't enjoy the near misses the follows the casting the mental & physical end if it. Your missing the biggest part.

 

[riverwhy]

I am sure all the hours makes the success all that much more sweet! I don't have a flyrod yet that could handle a musky. Guess I need to see one first! One guy from middletown that I spoke to this spring on the stretch below the dam said he caught one a year ago above the dam. Not on a fly, I think it was on a musky killer if I remember correctly.

 

[Swattie87]

Although I've never seen or hooked one in that Hershey section, my guess is they're there. A few Summers ago I hooked and quickly lost a big one to a cut line...I was spin fishing with 6 lb test when it took a 3" twistertail grub...this was slightly downstream of there, near Hummelstown. There's a few REALLY deep, slow holes in that stretch that I'm sure probably hold them - PM me if you want some more detail. I'm pretty sure the big Muskie of the year in the Patriot News Big Fish contest came out of the Hummelstown stretch of the Swattie for a couple years in a row in the mid 2000's. Bottom line, like the others have said, they're a rare bird and you gotta put in the time though.

Maybe the big Muskie guys can help out with some pointers for this, but if their teeth get up against any normal tippet under 10 or 12 lbs or so, they'll just slice right through it. I've caught several Pickeral while FFing further upstream in Lebanon County...they're not plentiful, but a couple per year is normal for me. I'm never really targeting them specifically, just fishing normal 5/6 wt stuff and small to medium-ish streamers for Smallies and Sunfish. They're much smaller, and have much smaller teeth than Muskies, but even they would shred up the 10lb test mono tippet I use when WW fishing, to the point I'd have to put on new tippet after landing one.

 

[jkilroy]

I may give it a shot this summer. Blind casting a 10 wt with flies the size of rodents and to have a alpha predator come after it...so cool, been wanting to go for northern pike on the fly for a while just too busy with family and work.

I even have the book muskie on the fly.

Darn life gets in the way

 

[Phish_On]

Few and far between but, they are there.

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

Use at least 65 pound mono. 80 pound floro and 26 pound knotable wire is the standard in toothy fly fishing.

 

[mooney4]

Paco, would you make the whole leader with the 65lbs mono? Im interested in leader setups. Shorter than usual too?? What would be the minimum size mono you would use?

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

I used alotta different leaders. I started using 2ft 65 knotted to 2ft of 40. Strait 65 is what I used most last yr. But for bite guard go 80 flouro or knotable wire.

 

[klingy]

I haven't ever seen any in that particular stretch, but I have seen quite a few just downstream of Hummelstown. Hooked into about a 20 incher a couple years ago on a green tube while spin fishing for smallies.

 

[Fishidiot]

mooney4 wrote:
Paco, would you make the whole leader with the 65lbs mono? Im interested in leader setups. Shorter than usual too?? What would be the minimum size mono you would use?

I'll let Paco speak for himself but my leader for pike/muskie uses mono in just two sections:

BUTT: About 4' of 40lb

Mid SECTION & TIPPET: About 2' of 20lb
(I use short wire bite tippets integrated into the fly)

Personally, I like to ensure that my leader has a breaking point lighter than my backing - which is why I like #20 - I can break it off. My backing is about 30 lbs. If I get snagged on the bottom while drifting downstream, I can break the fly off without risking the entire fly line which would be lost if my leader was stronger than my backing.

 

[TD55]

I tie a short piece (3-4") of 20lb nail knoted to my fly line then blood knot 50lb flouro. The 20lb is my break point if needed. The 50 is about 4-5 feet long with a loop on the end large enough I can loop to loop my fly and bite guard thru. All my flies have about 12 inches of 80lb flouro pre tied to them so that I can make changes easy.

 

[mooney4]

thanks guys that information will defiantly get me going in the right direction. Hey Fish, has there ever been a "Toothy Jam"?? just wondering??

 

[Fishidiot]

mooney4 wrote:
Fish, has there ever been a "Toothy Jam"?? just wondering??

Nope. We've only had a couple warm water jams that were more or less official. I did point out some muskie spots on one of them but the main target was smallies. Some muskies were seen but none caught.
I'd enjoy a toothy jam but I'm not sure how many folks would show up. Might be worth a try - no need to make it a big thing.

 

[dc410]

There has been some really good information on this thread. I have been taking notes and soaking it all in. I am in the process of learning as much as I can about leader set up, bite guards, knots etc. Seems like everyone has there own spin on it but it has been very helpful. I will probably pick some brains at the Lancaster show. Need to get some materials to get a few leaders made! Soon time to be fishin'.

 

[jkilroy]

I'm really hoping to get out this summer or fall for them. Probably spinning rod though to find out where they might be, then come back later.

I still there is ome in that stretch of the swatty, one time I was there fishing for smallies and saw a spin fisher with a 7" plug on and talked to him and sure enouph that's what he was after.

 

[Fishidiot]

jkilroy wrote:
I still there is ome in that stretch of the swatty,

Yes, they're there. The PFBC stocks tiger muskellunge in Swatara Creek from the mouth up to the confluence with Manada Creek (which is just upstream from Hershey).